What Parents Do
by Lady-Arrowwood
Summary: Izayoi Hideo and his daughter don't have the best relationship  And that's an understatement , but maybe they can fix it with the help of Fudo Yusei. Covers Ep. 40-41 and some other stuff. Hints of YuseiXAki


**Disclaimer: Sadly, Santa Claus didn't bring me the rights to the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. I guess too many people wanted them.**

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><p>Some days were easier than others. Some days Hideo Izayoi could go through an entire day without dwelling on his daughter, and other days, she persistently haunted his thoughts. She was the skeleton in the closet, the elephant in the room, the subject that he and his wife Setsuko so rarely broached. When they did broach the topic, the discussion always ended in a very heated argument, resulting in Hideo leaving to drink away the memory of it while his wife curled up on the sofa sobbing.<p>

Hideo didn't hate his daughter. How could he hate someone he didn't really know? His guilt was in an eternal war with his gratefulness at his daughter's disappearance from Duel Academia. Of course, he couldn't simply ignore her forever.

It all came to head one day when he was speaking with two other congressman. Hideo, himself, had preoccupied himself with his morning tea and mostly ignored the other two, only occasionally adding a comment. One of the congressman—he doesn't remember which one—remarked about how his son didn't what to be a duelist. At all. Hideo had been about to present his condolences when the other congressman scoffed and said, "You're so ungrateful! Let your son do as he pleases! I'd give _anything _to have my son back!"

There had been a smothering silence, and Hideo couldn't get those words out of his mind. _I'd give anything to have my son back._

The guilt was overwhelming. He had failed his daughter. The congressman stared dolefully at the half-empty bottle of wine and sighed. Because of his fear, he'd failed his daughter. The only way to make things right was to find her. He tried and failed. He'd failed Aki again.

It was then that Security arrived at his doorstep and told him his daughter was hurt badly. It felt like his entire life was a window that'd just been broken into a million, glittering shards. _If Aki dies, it's my fault, _he thought.

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><p>He walked into the hospital, poised and collected, despite the masses of reporters demanding answers. Setsuko came after him, and Hideo didn't miss the too obvious uncertainty and anxiety about her. It hardly mattered, though; they could face the press later. His daughter was hurt, and maybe, just maybe it wouldn't be too late to be a better father, to tell Aki that he was wrong and had always loved her. He would try to understand.<p>

Setsuko broke down crying when they were at their daughter's bedside. Hideo felt as if he could barely breathe. His poor daughter lay so still, maybe never to wake, and if she never woke, it would be his fault. Entirely. He swallowed thickly and tried to think of his daughter happy. He tried to imagine Aki before that fateful day, smiling. He tried to imagine her sobbing, glowering, anything other than the image his eyes couldn't remove from his mind. He failed miserably to conjure any memories of Aki, and all he could see in his mind's eye was his daughter, motionless, with a too-peaceful appearance of sleep on her face. The door behind him opened, and Jack Atlas was there. Why was he there? "There was one person who was able to open her heart," Jack said, his voice expressionless.

Hideo wasn't sure what he meant or how it would help. He wasn't even sure why _Jack Atlas _was there, but clearly, the young man thought he knew something to help Aki. Hideo's questions weren't so important if Jack Atlas knew someone who could help his daughter. He was desperate, and his composure vanished entirely, replaced with anxiety and hope. "Who was it?" someone asked. Maybe it was him. Maybe Setsuko had asked. Hideo's heart was beating too loudly in his head for him to hear or even care. All that mattered was the answer.

_Fudo Yusei._

Fudo Yusei was apparently a marked criminal who lived in Satellite. Hideo stared at Jack Atlas, speechless and wondering if some cruel joke was being played on him. "What?" he asked.

Jack Atlas shrugged and then drawled, very obnoxiously, "Fu-_doe _You-_say_," pronouncing his words slowly as if Hideo was simply too stupid to understand them.

"And how is some Satellite scum going to help my daughter?" Hideo snapped.

Jack Atlas's eyes narrowed. "Don't call him that!"

Setsuko grasped Jack Atlas's arm, and he looked as if he couldn't decide whether to pull away from her or not. "I don't care," she said. "I don't care what he is. Can he help our daughter?"

"I don't know," replied Jack, "But he's the only one who has been able to open her heart. They have a bond; maybe he can."

"D-does he know?" asked Hideo.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "That she's a psychic duelist? Yeah, I'm pretty sure he has the bruises to prove she is."

Hideo's mind was whirling. "He knows what she can do…and he has a bond with her?"

Jack sighed. "I know where he's at if you want to see if he'll help."

"Yes," Hideo said.

Some teenage boy had been there for Aki when her own parents hadn't. Hideo took a deep breath. If Fudo Yusei managed to befriend his daughter, in spite of her powers, maybe he wasn't so bad. Hadn't he already judged his own daughter? His judgment was the reason she lay near death on an operating table. "I'll find him," he said. "I'll convince him to save Aki."

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><p>Fudo Yusei's eyes narrowed suspiciously as Hideo explained who he was. The man wasn't sure whether the young man's blue eyes reflected mere suspicion or anger, but it was quite apparent that Yusei didn't regard him very highly. That wasn't really a surprise. Most people in Satellite didn't regard the congress highly, and really he'd expected from the beginning that Fudo Yusei wasn't a fan of class or propriety in general. After all, Yusei's first spoken words were, "Just call me 'Yusei'. Everyone does" when Hideo tried to properly call the former by his family name.<p>

The woman Martha hovered behind him, and Hideo wasn't entirely sure what her relationship with Yusei was. He hoped it was one that would help him. The congressman clenched his fists to keep from fidgeting; no eighteen-year-old should make him feel as guilty, horrible, and uneasy as he felt right then. "What do you want me for?" asked Yusei.

Hideo gathered his determination. It didn't matter what Yusei thought. Aki was in danger. "I want you to save my daughter, Aki!"

Yusei's expression went from angry to surprised and to an emotionless, serious gaze. Hideo closed his eyes, suddenly exhausted; he didn't even want to look at Yusei anymore. If he said no, what would happen to his daughter? He imagined her on the table again. _I swear I'll make it all up to you, Aki, _he thought. _I just need one more chance._

They were empty words because his daughter couldn't hear them, but they needed to be thought just the same. He felt so powerless. Maybe if he hadn't treated Aki so badly, he wouldn't been in Satellite depending on a stranger to save his daughter's life. "We're not good enough. We can't save her!" Those were the most difficult words he'd ever had to say. He felt like he was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack.

Martha put a cup of tea before him and scolded him for not properly explaining the situation. Explaining everything meant going back and admitting everything he'd done to Aki. It meant admitting his was wrong and a failure as a parent, but if that would convince the Satellite to help his daughter…he'd find a way to admit it. He did. He told those strangers everything. His shoulders slumped as he spoke, and he hunched over the table, refusing to look at Yusei.

An eighteen-year-old didn't fear Aki's powers when her own father did. In the end, that was what it all amounted to—fear and guilt. And weakness, if he was honest. It was so hard to speak, so unrealistically hard, but it felt as if something had lodged itself in his throat and refused to be moved, but he forced the words out, even trying to justify his actions. He hadn't _wanted _to hurt Aki, but how could he just…just accept that his daughter had such a horrifying, unnatural power?

His words sounded weak, even to himself, and he finally said, "No, I'm lying."

He raised his head and looked directly at Yusei, who leveled an eerily emotionless gaze at him. "I forced her into Duel Academy," the congressman said, beginning the next part of his story.

Hideo lowered his gaze again and clenched his fists tightly, nearly shaking. He definitely wasn't proud of what happened next, the night when Aki had broken every window in the house with her powers. The image of her hurt and betrayed face briefly flickered in his mind, replacing the one of her unconscious, maybe dying.

Then, Yusei said the most horrible thing possible. "Unfortunately, in my current state, I can't help her either."

Without thinking, Hideo grasped the young man's hands, and Yusei's impassive expression turned to surprise. It hardly mattered, though. It didn't matter what Yusei thought or that a congressman was grasping the hands of a criminal of Satellite as though his life depended on it. Aki was in danger, and if Yusei could save her, Hideo would do anything. He'd beg if he needed to. Brown eyes met blue and he spoke, trying to be calm and reasonable. Yusei _had _to help. He was Aki's only hope. Yusei tried to save Aki before. Why couldn't he do it again? Jack Atlas said he could.

"You have to help!" he declared. If Yusei didn't help, nothing could be done.

Yusei averted his eyes, whether out of guilt, embarrassment, or fear, Hideo couldn't be sure. "Even if I go, what can I do?"

Hideo didn't have an answer. They had to try _something_, though. Anything. "_Please, _Yusei!"

Martha spoke from behind him, ordering that Yusei save Aki. Hideo couldn't help but feel a sudden stroke of relief. Hopefully, Yusei would listen to Martha—whoever she was to him—if the congressman's words weren't enough. She mentioned a name. Kiryu, maybe? Hideo wasn't entirely paying attention to her, but rather Yusei because there was fear in those blue eyes. If it weren't for fear, Aki wouldn't be like she was. Words caught in his throat, and Hideo was truly speechless. How could he tell some kid not to be afraid of his daughter when he, himself, still struggled to understand Aki's powers?

Martha strode across the room and pinched Yusei's ear. Yusei winced even as Martha rebuked him, talking about things Hideo was entirely clueless about. It caught his attention, though. Clearly, Yusei wasn't Martha's son, but if seemed that was the role she'd taken in Yusei's life. Was she a good parent? It seemed, despite her rebukes, she was trying to help Yusei overcome his fears and save Aki. That was what parents were supposed to do, wasn't it? Help their children be strong? He'd done that for Aki when she was four years old and afraid of thunderstorms. He'd done that for her again when she was five years old and afraid of the dark.

He realized suddenly that Aki, herself, was afraid. _And I ought to be helping her overcome those fears, _he thought. _How can I do that? _I'm _afraid of her._

Martha's voice grew warm. "Right, Yusei?" she asked, smiling.

Yusei nodded and smiled back, accepting the advice she'd offered. It looked so ridiculously easy. _Would Aki overcome her fear so easily if I asked? _Hideo wondered.

It didn't matter at the moment. Yusei was going to help, and _that _mattered. The congressman practically jumped from his seat. "Thank you, Yusei!"

One more chance from Aki was what he wanted, but if Yusei could just wake Aki up…the congressman would forget it all. Aki might never forgive him, but at least, she'd be alive. At least he could try to explain it all. At least he could tell Aki he was so, so sorry and loved her always. "Yusei, you like Aki, don't you?" asked Martha.

"No, you're wrong!" Yusei exclaimed, his denial startling after the predominantly stoic behavior he'd displayed during their conversation.

Hideo frowned slightly. _He likes her? _

Really he'd never considered that Yusei might really like his daughter. A congressman's daughter in love with a Satellite rat. The press would have a field day with that. _But what do I know anymore? I dismissed Aki as a monster, and she's…she's hurt because of me. Is it fair to dismiss him as Satellite scum?_

"You don't have to blush! Go rescue your future wife!" Martha teased over Yusei's protests.

Hideo had never teased Aki like that. He'd never teased her about anything. _I should've had that closeness with my daughter, _he thought, _Like they have. And Yusei's not even really her son._

There was a round of laughter, during which Yusei looked comically put-out about the situation. It was infectious and all good-natured teasing. _Will Aki and I ever have that? _Hideo wondered. _Just her being well would be enough. Can I even hope for this?_

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><p>Yusei apparently wasn't one for conversing for he barely said a word during the helicopter ride. Unable to bear his silence any longer, Hideo said, "Yusei?"<p>

Yusei glanced towards him, apparently waiting for Hideo to continue his thoughts. "Were you scared?" the congressman asked.

"Of what?"

"Of Aki. When…when you figured out what she could do?"

"Who wouldn't be?"

Hideo didn't have an answer to that. "If you were afraid, how did you face her?"

Yusei said nothing for a long time. Then, very quietly, he replied, "I realized she was hurting. She needed me, so it didn't matter if I was scared. I had to help her, just like I have to help her now."

Hideo said nothing else, musing over Yusei's words along with everything else.

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><p>When they arrived at the hospital, the congressman's urgent, though reasonably calm demeanor turned into full-fledged panic. He would've ran down those hallways, had Yusei not decided to settle himself into a determined walk that was nowhere <em>near <em>running. Jack Atlas was there with two children, who both cheerfully greeted Yusei.

Yusei didn't hesitate to walk to Aki's side, and Hideo waited, watching, praying to whatever deity might hear for his daughter's safety. Yusei removed one of his gloves and gently brushed away a tear on his daughter's cheek. "Izayoi…"

Miraculously, his daughter's eyes opened. Hideo felt an overwhelming rush of relief that overcame anything else he was thinking until his daughter spoke, her voice soft, wondering, relieved, disbelieving, and with so many underlying emotions that Hideo couldn't possibly name them all. "Yusei, you came to save me?"

Yusei shouldn't have had to save her. Her parents should've done that. "Aki!" he exclaimed.

His daughter turned her head towards him, suddenly very angry. Her next words stung, but Hideo couldn't blame her. He was numb and could offer no defense other than to listen. His daughter ran her hands through her hair, looking near tears, and crying about some stranger named Divine, who'd taken the place her parents should've held in her life. Even worse was that Aki was suddenly ignoring her parents, choosing instead to talk with growing hysteria to Yusei. "He gave me what Papa took from me! He gave me a home!"

Hideo flinched at his daughter's words; he knew they were coming, but they still hurt. Aki had her duel disk ready, and Hideo stared at her, his fear growing. _I'm so sorry, _he thought.

Yusei spoke up, then, trying to defend him, and it seemed the Satellite had become Aki's new target to vent her anger upon. There was a gust of wind, blowing everything away. Setsuko was knocked off her feet, and Hideo heard screams from the two children gathered around Jack Atlas. "Aki!" her father shouted.

It seemed she was set on battling, and Yusei was either foolish or brave enough to face her. Her first move literally knocked Yusei off his feet. Hideo couldn't help but remember just how horrifying his daughter could be. His daughter had powers no one should possess, but wasn't Yusei supposed to save her? The Satellite didn't really have a choice anymore; if he didn't save Aki, he might be laying unconscious on a hospital bed just like his daughter had been, and there wouldn't be anyone to save him. Hideo hoped Yusei knew what he was doing.

Futilely, Hideo called his daughter's name, hoping she'd stop. She didn't. "You're looking at me like I'm a monster!" she yelled. Then, because he'd somehow become the target for her anger, "I'll make you feel the same pain I felt, Yusei!"

Yusei hadn't done anything to her, yet he was the one Aki was choosing to take her anger out on. Maybe that was just what Aki needed—to vent. Maybe she'd calm down, and Yusei could save her. He'd woken Aki up, after all, hadn't he?

Black Rose Dragon's first attack tore up half the flooring and sent it soaring through the air towards Yusei. Aki spoke then, still to him and no one else. It was horrifying for Hideo to hear his daughter talking about actively _wanting _to hurt another person. The Aki he remembered at least didn't understand her powers. Aki's expression softened, becoming almost sympathetic. "Fudo Yusei," she said, her voice tinged with regret. "You can't save me."

Hideo flinched. He'd been clinging foolishly to the fact that Yusei would save his daughter. Somehow, he'd managed to push the thought that maybe Yusei _couldn't _save Aki to the back of his mind. If he couldn't, though, who could? No one. _No, no, he has to. He has to save Aki._

Aki turned angry again, lashing out at her father and Yusei. In a terrible way, it was almost a relief, Hideo thought. Even though Hideo kept telling himself that Yusei was Satellite scum and _obligated _to help Aki, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. Yusei hadn't failed Aki. Aki's parents had done that. Her father had done that, and really, he ought to be the one bearing her anger, not some stranger. Yusei shouldn't be the one standing there, listening as Aki talked about losing Divine and her home.

Jarringly, Yusei said, "You had a home from the beginning!"

Hideo was stunned. Was Yusei really trying to reconcile him and Aki? "Yusei…" he muttered.

Yusei summoned Stardust Dragon to defend the people behind him. That left him quite defenseless against Aki's Black Rose Dragon, and Hideo knew that when he heard Yusei yelp in pain. It wasn't right. Yusei hadn't done anything wrong at all. How could Yusei manage to face Aki's attacks and still protect his friends and Aki's parents, when Hideo himself thought _he _ought to be dueling Aki? _This isn't right, _he thought. _I'm the reason she's like this. This is my fault. _

Perhaps, more stunning than Yusei's determination was his agreeing that he couldn't save anyone. Aki was in pain, though, and he refused to leave her. Weren't parents supposed to soothe their children's pain? That was the root of the problem, wasn't it? Aki was hurt and needed acceptance. Maybe Yusei couldn't save her, but he didn't deserve what he was getting. Neither did Aki. Hideo was her father. He had to try to save her. That was the moment he jumped between the duelists in a half-thought effort to protect Yusei and to stop Aki.

The attack never reached him because Yusei had been ready with a trap card. Hideo stood there and tried to explain everything that he'd been thinking since the beginning. Aki refused to listen, and he couldn't truly blame her. He had to try, though. He had to save her from herself.

Yusei couldn't protect him forever, and it _hurt _when Aki finally attacked again. If anything, it seemed Hideo's reasoning had made things worse. Still, he couldn't give up. That was his _daughter_. He stumbled towards her while she screamed at him and Yusei warned him to step away. _No, not this time, _he thought.

Aki didn't listen to him. She didn't. It seemed really that the only person who she'd sort of listen to was Yusei. "Aki!"

That was Yusei speaking, pleading with his daughter to listen. Mentally, Hideo took back every bad thing he'd ever thought about Fudo Yusei. Despite his words, Aki still attacked. Wind and razor-sharp petals still flew in the air, and the duel continued. "I can't control them!" he thought he heard his daughter say.

Something large flew at him, and his daughter screamed. Abruptly, everything stopped—the wind, the petals, the cabinets. His daughter was startled. Her father couldn't believe he'd missed that all along; Aki hadn't been able to stop what she was doing. Yet, by some miracle, she'd learned. He collapsed, whether from stress of exhaustion, he didn't know, and Aki rushed to his side, the hate and anger gone. Her eyes focused over his shoulder. "Yusei, please, finish this."

Hideo thought the important part was already over.

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><p>He embraced his daughter for the first time in years, and they cried, releasing all their regret, guilt, and love at once. Hideo knew he and his daughter had a long way to go, but they at least had a base to build from. Yusei walked towards them, his expression and voice soft as he spoke to Aki. Hideo let him. Maybe he'd saved Aki, but Jack Atlas was right. There was a bond between his daughter and the Satellite.<p>

They left, first Jack, then the twins, and Yusei made to follow them. Hideo still sat on the ground by his daughter. "Yusei, wait!" Aki exclaimed, climbing hastily to her feet.

Yusei paused and looked over his shoulder at her. Aki rushed to his side and considered him for a moment. She traced a scratch along his cheek with a finger and took a step back. "Yusei…I…"

She hugged him, and Hideo noted that Yusei winced when she touched him. Aki jumped back suddenly as if he'd burned her. "I…you…did I hurt you? You…"

"I'm sore," he said. "I crashed on my D-Wheel last week. Remember that?"

Aki looked doubtful and fidgeted with her hands. "Yusei," she said. "It's not very polite to refer to someone by first name unless said person expressly wishes it."

"Did that bother you?"

"No…actually, I think it's fair. We're friends, right?"

Yusei nodded and smiled. Hideo noted the blush on his daughter's cheeks. Yusei may or may not like his daughter more than a friend, but Aki certainly liked him.

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><p>It was awkward at the house. Silence reigned over Aki and Hideo as the former straightened her clothes before a mirror and the latter read a book. Hideo frowned and set the book aside, deciding to try something. "Aki, will you sit down a moment?" he asked.<p>

His daughter complied, sitting in an armchair across from him. "What is it, Papa?" she inquired.

"Well…I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure."

Her father smiled. "When do I need to have a talk with him?"

"Him?" Aki echoed.

Hideo had a feeling she knew _exactly _who he meant. "With Fu-_doe _You-_say_," he said, in a decent impersonation of Jack Atlas.

"A talk about what?"

"About you. You like him a lot, don't you?"

Aki's eyes widened. "No! Yusei is just a friend!"

Hideo grinned. Teasing was sort of fun. "Just a friend? You're wearing perfume and make-up just to go out with a friend?"

Aki flushed. "I am _not _trying to attract Yusei's attention!"

"I never said you were. You ought to invite him over sometime."

There was a knock on the door. "Oh, have fun with your boyfriend, Aki!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Aki exclaimed, rolling her eyes and stomping towards the door.

"Love you!" Hideo shouted after her.

His daughter paused and smiled. "I love you, too."

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><p>Hideo <em>had <em>told Aki to invite Yusei over, but he was still surprised when he returned home from work and found the Satellite sitting in the living room with his daughter, the former pointing out something in a book, while the latter bit on the end of her pencil. "Hello, Aki. Yusei."

"Papa!" exclaimed Aki, looking up and smiling brightly.

Yusei nodded in acknowledgement. "What are you doing?" asked Hideo.

"Physics homework," said Aki. "I managed to drag Yusei away from his girlfriend long enough to get some tutoring."

_Girlfriend?_

"She means my D-Wheel," supplied Yusei. "I'm trying to write a new engine program."

"Sure," Aki said. "When do I need to expect the wedding invitation? What is your girlfriend's name going to be? Fudo Yusei-Go?"

"You're hilarious," Yusei deadpanned.

Hideo shook his head, resigning himself to the fact that both Aki and Yusei were about to start another round of baiting and bantering with one another, which they'd been doing a lot lately. He walked into the next room, vaguely hearing Aki make some declaration about "—hope she doesn't like to drink milk. She'll always be fighting you for the carton!"

Hideo entered the kitchen, where Setsuko waited with a cup of tea, smiling wryly. "It's already hit the newspapers that our daughter's been seen with him."

"It doesn't matter; he's a distinguished duelist."

"True," Setsuko said. "I can't honestly say I'm disappointed, though, that she didn't marry some high class socialite."

"Yeah, me neither."

Truth was, Yusei made Aki happy, and for Hideo that was what mattered the most. Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't tease Aki later about liking 'raggedy, bad boy biker punks'. After all, wasn't teasing what parents did?

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><p><strong>AN: **So...I'm one of those terrible lurkers who has no life, and when I get bored, I search random pairings and characters on the site. And I realized that there were no fics about Aki's father (excluding maybe the M ones, which I don't read). So here we are! Now there is one; I feel very accomplished. Oh, and the Yusei's girlfriend being his D-Wheel? Yes, that's a shout-out to the Abridged series.


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